This is the first Environmental Performance Review of Latvia. It evaluates progress towards sustainable development and green growth, with special features on waste and circular economy, and biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Latvia has come a long way in improving its environmental performance and the well-being of the population. Large amounts of investment have helped increase the use of renewables, improve energy efficiency of homes, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and extend access to water and waste services. However, convergence with more advanced OECD economies is far from being accomplished. Forestry and agriculture play a key economic role, but exert increasing pressures on biodiversity. Mainstreaming biodiversity considerations into economic development policies should be a priority. Accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon and circular economy will require major investment in sustainable infrastructure, more waste prevention and recycling and stronger economic instruments. This is the first Environmental Performance Review of Latvia. It evaluates progress towards sustainable development and green growth, with special features on waste and circular economy, and biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Turkey is the fastest growing OECD economy with rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2008, its economic growth has been relatively decoupled from air emissions, energy use, waste generation and water consumption. However, the high resource intensity of Turkey’s economy and its ...

Lithuania’s rapid economic growth has increased many environmental pressures. This is the first OECD Environmental Performance Review of Lithuania. It evaluates progress towards green growth and sustainable development, with a special chapter focusing on sustainable mobility.

Australia has managed to decouple economic growth from the main environmental pressures and has made impressive progress in expanding protected areas. However, it is one of the most resource- and carbon-intensive OECD countries, and the state of its biodiversity is poor and worsening. Advancing ...

Going Digital in Latvia analyses recent developments in Latvia’s digital economy, reviews policies related to digitalisation and make recommendations to increase policy coherence in this area, based on the OECD Going Digital Integrated Policy Framework.

Belgium has made progress in decoupling several environmental pressures from economic growth, in improving wastewater treatment and in expanding protected areas. Regions have achieved high levels of recovery and recycling, and have pioneered circular economy policies. However, further efforts are needed to progress towards carbon neutrality, reduce air and water pollution, reverse biodiversity loss and consolidate results of circular economy initiatives.

OECD Environmental Performance Reviews provide independent assessments of countries’ progress towards their environmental policy objectives. Reviews promote peer learning, enhance government accountability, and provide targeted recommendations aimed at improving environmental performance ...